Search Results for: cornett

Cornett’s Woven Masterpiece

Posted on August 5, 2018 by

I’ve just finished my article for Mortise & Tenon Magazine about Chester Cornett’s “Masterpiece Bookcase Rocker.” I believe Cornett called his bookcase rocker a masterpiece for its expert joinery, its level of adornment and care of construction – but over … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 16 Comments

Hairyman Cornett

Posted on May 17, 2018 by

Driving through Eastern Kentucky makes me homesick for the mountains of Arkansas. Something about the contrast – intense natural beauty with equally intense poverty – reminds me of growing up in the Ozarks. And every conversation with the locals is … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 7 Comments

Chester Cornett & His Roman Workbench

Posted on April 6, 2018 by

I’ve seen a blurry photograph of a detail of Chester Cornett’s chairmaking workbench and read Michael Owen Jones’s description of the bench in “The Craftsman of the Cumberlands.” At the time I thought: That sounds like a Roman-style workbench. And … Continue reading →

Posted in Ingenious Mechanicks, Uncategorized | 11 Comments

Another Chester Cornett Rocker (or When Routers Attack!)

Posted on March 9, 2018 by

Today Brendan Gaffney and I got a rare up-close look at one of Chester Cornett’s rockers during a preview for an antiques auction in Cincinnati. The walnut rocking chair was one of Cornett’s later pieces. And after a close examination, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized, Yellow Pine Journalism | 6 Comments

Chester Cornett at the Kentucky Folk Art Center

Posted on February 2, 2018 by

For many years, I have been an undying fan of the work of Chester Cornett (1913-1981), a traditional Eastern Kentucky chairmaker who crossed over to become an artist who lived out his last years in Cincinnati, just a few miles … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal Favorites, Uncategorized | 20 Comments

Storefront Takeover This Saturday (June 9)

Posted on June 4, 2018 by

Normally around this time every month Chris writes a blog post to tell you that the Lost Art Press storefront in Covington, Ky., will be open on the coming Saturday. But with Chris visiting his (kind of) ancestral homeland, it’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Lost Art Press Storefront | 3 Comments

A Flatworker’s ‘Chire’

Posted on April 8, 2018 by

Few can claim that they’ve made a novel or uncompromising break from the design of their time. Whether we are interpreting, imitating, recasting or reacting to the designs of others (consciously or unconsciously), few designers add truly original elements to … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 14 Comments

Naked Necessity

Posted on January 25, 2015 by

Earlier this week, contributing editor Suzanne Ellison suggested a short Q&A on early seating furniture, which she has been helping me research for “The Furniture of Necessity.” I consented, as long as the interview was conducted nude. This is my … Continue reading →

Posted in The Anarchist's Design Book | 26 Comments

Nothing to Divorce

Posted on September 29, 2012 by

“After he moved to Indiana, and from there to Ohio, Chester (Cornett) again held his raw materials in a gentle embrace as he shaped them, once more using hand tools which were extensions of himself and with which he caressed … Continue reading →

Posted in Gallery of Work | 9 Comments